First light findings and image - Lunt (LS60THaPTFT)
Hi all
This morning I set up, packed away and set up my new Lunt scope. The weather has not been cooperating!
My first impressions of this scope
- Great looking scope
- Quite heavy
- Everything moves smoothly: focus tube, focus and feather touch focus knobs
- Pressure Tuner is a ‘tighter’ turn but this appears correct
The scope with the dovetail plate was very easy to slide and screw into my EQ mount. I had to add counter balance weights do to the heavier scope (I normally use my Solarmax 40 with this mount).
Finding the Sun was easy due to my experience with solar scopes and the view right from the start made me very happy. A solar finder would be a great accessory 4 years ago!
I viewed without the ‘double stacked’ filter as clouds were always threatening the session and I wanted to get on with it. I later attached the double stack for the experience and it screwed on very easily. The filter will have to wait for the next session.
Even with a 20mm eyepiece you can see more finer detail compared to my 40mm H-Alpha scope. Filaments are more detailed showing terrific contrast that makes then leap off the surface. The detail around active regions (I was viewing AR 1054) was much more noticeable and a real pleasure to view. It did take some time to get use to the pressure tuner but after awhile this enabled a wider spectrum of viewing – easier to use than the little tuning wheel I am used to but as it is a tighter turn the scope moves a little when turning.
Due to the weather I rushed to look for prominences and only caught short view of a massive eruption – this was hanging off the limb like an umbrella. Then clouds…and rain…then beer!
I did manage to capture three short AVI’s after the first of the morning’s showers – they were average at best but show heaps of promise – this scope with the double stack will be a fine imaging system in conjunction with the DMK31.
First impressions are important and after a total of 25 minutes during first light I am please to say this is a good solar scope!
Attached is an image of the scope and AR 1054 (2.5 Powermate, stacked and tweaked in Registax V5)
fantastic that you got to use it and you captured a wonderful test image, but you have made me interested in the lump on the left side of the lunt? what is it?
Lucky lad Matt .... its a biggie for a Solar (not that I know?). Am sure you will get a lot of fun and satisfaction from it, and those images are great.
It does seem easier to find detail in parts of the negative image. As someone who's not into imaging, is a negative often used to find extra detail?
A tip for finding the Sun with these scopes: the shadow of the front cell can be centered on the clamshell, the clamshell being a larger diameter than the front cell.
welcome to the 60 mill club. These scopes should be better than the Coronado because of the removal of the central obstruction. It should provide a slightly brighter image.
Just wondering with imaging can you remove the diag or is it the same as the Coronado series where the blocking filter is in the diag? Being able to remove the diag would help with using an DSLR or large format monchrome camera.
welcome to the 60 mill club. These scopes should be better than the Coronado because of the removal of the central obstruction. It should provide a slightly brighter image.
Just wondering with imaging can you remove the diag or is it the same as the Coronado series where the blocking filter is in the diag? Being able to remove the diag would help with using an DSLR or large format monchrome camera.
Nice pic too.
filter in the diagonal - + camera directly connects to diagonal via tpiece
Just wondering with imaging can you remove the diag or is it the same as the Coronado series where the blocking filter is in the diag? Being able to remove the diag would help with using an DSLR or large format monchrome camera.
I have had the Lunt LS60THA (no pressure tuner like Matt's though, I was too impatient to wait a year hehe).
The BF is in the diagonal so you cant remove it. However you can if you want order a straight through Blocking Filter rather than a diagonal if you want. With my lunt / diagonal I have been able to fit all the configurations I need. 2x barlow in front of Diagonal and a large format camera on the back of the diagonal for larger image on QHY8 and a canon 40d). I have also gone the other way fitting a reducer after the diagonal to reduce the disk size slightly when I use my DMK41 so I can fit a full disk.
Regards
Bill D
the reason I was asking is because in the Coronado series the only scope that has the straight through option is the Solarmax 90. The solarmax 60 which I have is good but limits what you can image with given the BF being in the diag. A DSLR is far too heavy to image with given the plastic screw in the diag which retains the EP adapter.
It would seem to me that a straight through system would be universally accepted as a good idea. Good to hear you can order this with the Lunt series.
Thanks all - I am going to enjoy the new scope.
Hi Tony - I am noy sure about the common use of the negative image - I inverted an image awhile ago and it just adds to the capture / contrast IMHO.
David, the lump on the left side is the pressure tuner - it allows you to Dopler shift the centre wavelength of the scope.....I think that means you can view different stuff more easily when you tweak - alot of solar scopes have this function but it is a little wheel.
Hi Paul - I guess a straight line set up would help - I use a DMK so weight is not a problem.
Thanks all for your words of encouragement!
.... its a biggie for a Solar (not that I know?).
